Complexes of palladium and rhodium salts with bis(propylthio)methane as the components of initiating systems for radical polymerization

The radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate carried out in the presen ce of palladium and rhodium complex compounds containing thioacetal as a li gand was studied. It was shown that the complexes under study form initiati ng systems with peroxide or azo initiators. The effect of these systems is the most pronounced at a stoichiometric ratio of thioacetal : peroxide. Thi s is related to the occurrence of a transition complex formed with the pred ominant participation of hydrogens of the geminal methylene group of thioac etal. The activity of the systems involving the compounds of interest as po lymerization initiators is higher compared to the systems based on thioacet als uninvolved in complexation with metal ions.